If you haven’t heard of Bruce, you’re likely not alone. The only reason I heard of this small town of it was because I used to work in another town just west of here. To be honest, there isn’t a whole lot going on in this community east of Edmonton. The Bruce Stampede is their big event of the year occurring every summer since 1914.

Aside from the Stampede, it can be argued that the only other thing that brings traffic out here is the meal at the Bruce Hotel and rightfully so. Every bite of this delicious dinner was well worth the 1 hour and 15 minute drive east of Edmonton. Heck, having enjoyed that meal so much I’d have driven much further.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the Bruce Hotel was the delicious scent of homemade cooking; this sweet aroma mingled with cream, garlic and butter immediately transported me to my Baba’s house and the smell of her cooking. It was a comforting feeling and I felt right at home. As for the décor, kitschy would be the best way to describe it. The walls were littered with cute posters with sayings like “Life is short, smile while you still have teeth” and vintage photos of old superstars like Elvis Presley. While it certainly was a lot, it suited the place. It added to the experience of being in a small town restaurant bar.

The Steak Dinner at the Bruce Hotel is not your typical meal. There is no menu and all you will order is your beverage of choice along with how you would like your steak cooked. I chose a medium steak and we got a bottle of YellowTail Merlot for the table to share (I was there with my husband, my in-laws and my parents).

After placing this single order, we were directed to the buffet table where there were two sections: Salads and Fixin’s for Steak. The Salads were not just your typical green leaf salads; there was taco salad, coleslaw, Caesar salad, spinach salad, cucumber and dill salad, a marinated vegetable salad and pasta salad. In trying to strategically plan for my stomach capacity I went light here and only tried the taco salad, pasta salad and cucumber and dill salad. The taco salad looked least appealing of these three, looking a little limp and wilted, however it was anything but. I was actually surprised at how well the crunchiness of each of these salads was maintained on a buffet table. The pasta salad was good, nothing special but not bad. It was the cucumber dill salad which stood out to me- crisp, fresh cucumbers in a cream sauce with fresh dill. It tasted exactly like something my Baba would make from her garden.

Even though I really, REALLY wanted to indulge in more salads (especially the cucumber and dill one), I knew I had to be smart and save room. I still had a steak along with all the fixin’s to enjoy. And the dessert table of course but we’ll get to that later.

The steak took longer to come out than at your usual restaurant, but I wasn’t surprised or miffed at this. It was a busy place and cooking a steak to one’s liking takes time and patience. It was well worth the wait.

The steak was done perfectly to my liking of medium. Just a hint of pink, but not actively leaking red. It was incredibly tender, requiring little force to cut. The flavor was delectable. Peppery and meaty; the perfect balance of spices to enhance the delicious steak flavor. My husband had his steak done medium rare and it too was excellent. As someone who doesn’t like a steak which looks like it could “moo” at a moments notice, I would have enjoyed the medium rare here and almost regretted not ordering one.

While the steak was definitely the star of the show here, the fixin’s absolutely deserved an honorable mention. Along with being a steak night, it was also a shrimp night. Within the fixin’s side of the buffet table, creamy butter and garlic tiger shrimp were featured. Additionally, this side of the buffet table included baked beans, garlic and butter mushrooms, potato’s with a savory cream and dill sauce, garlic bread and tender pork baby back ribs. Everything was absolutely delectable; it was obvious that everything here was homemade and made with love. As I was enjoying my meal I tried to figure out which dish I liked best and I could not get to a true answer. Everything was equally out of this world.

Now if I haven’t already convinced you to go to Bruce, it’s now time to talk about the dessert table. Again, everything here was homemade; the dessert table looked like a church potluck. Included here were a fruit salad, Skor trifle, cherry cheesecake trifle, lemon poppyseed loaf and moist, soft chocolate chip cookies. My meticulous stomach capacity planning unfortunately failed me and I only had room for the trifles along with the cookies. While it was close, the cherry cheesecake trifle was the winner for me with it’s creamy and tart flavor. While they weren’t warm, the cookies tasted fresh out of the oven. Again, it was clear that these dishes were homemade and made with love. I regretted not trying the lemon poppyseed loaf as it again looked like something one of my Baba’s would make and I know it would have been delicious.

So if someone is telling you about how delicious and well worth the drive to the Bruce Hotel is, they aren’t lying. This was easily the best at-restaurant homemade meal I’ve had in my life. From the salads to desserts and the star of the show, the steak, the meal was truly one of a kind.

If you are headed out to Bruce, don’t expect your typical fancy steak dinner. The meal is served on a paper plate and the dress code is super casual. This steak dinner however, I assure you is far more delicious and heartwarming than any meal you’ll have at a high end steak house. I promise you will feel the love of this meal more than you will anywhere else.